The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-08-16
THE NAVY.
Contracts Awarded for Con,
structing Five New Vessels.
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT.
A Cunning ForEer-Ths Margin Be.
tween His Assets and Forgeries
Is About $4,000.
Naval News

WASHINGTON, August 15.-Mr. Whit
ney, who has long flied the position OF
chief draughtsman In the bureau Of
steam engineering. Navy Department
has been dismissed. sdI
Secretary Whitney has been out oil
town to-day, and it has been impossible
to secure an official confirmation of the
report teiegraphed last night that Adj
miral Luce had asked to be relieved
from command of the North Atlantic
squadron.
WASHINGTON. August 15.-The Secre-
tary of the Navy, to day, awarded con
tracts for constructing dqe new naval
vessels for which bids were opened
recently. Cruiser No. l., the Nework, is
awarded to Cramp & Sons, for 81, 248,-
600, according to the Department.
plans for the hull and the contractors
plans for the machinery. Cruiser No.
4, to Cramp q Sons contractors, plans)
for 81, $50 900; cruiser No. 5, Union
lronworks of San Francisco, depart
ment's plans for hull and machinery,
81, 42S, 900; and gun boats, Nos. 3 and 4,
York, (Roach's assignees) at S49, 600
Works, San Francisco, was the subject
of correspondence between Secretary
Whitney and the President. The
cruisers Nos. and 5, was $l,41O,000;
that of the Union Iron Works was for
81 ,408 600. The Secretary left it to the
President to decide whether the bid of
the Union Works is fair price for the
works. In response to the letter of the
Secretary, the President made the fol-
lowing reply:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, August 10.
Under the provisions of the act of Con-
gress, authorizing the construction of the
ships herein referred to, which act requires
that one of said ships should be built on the
coast of the Pacific ocean, or the waters con-
nected Herewith, unless the same cannot be
there constructed at fair cost, and the bid
of the Union Iron Works of San Francisco,
being within SIS, zoo of the lowest bid for the
ship to be constructed according to the plans
of the Navy Department, which sum of
$4,000 not more than covers the differences
material, and the bid by said company
not appearing to be in excess of the fair cost
of said ship, l do hereby, pursuant to said
statute, and in accordance with the manifest
intention of Congress in the premises,
authorize and direct that the contract for the
construction of the ship within named tn be
built in accordance to the plans of the Navy
Department, be given to said Union Iron
Works of San Francisco.
(Signed,) GROVER CLEVELAND.
The Secretary of the Navy has issued
instructions TO have the work Of COM
pleting the United State monitor HuI-
tOnomdh, lying at New York navy yard,
pushed as rapidly as possible. Bids
for furnishing materials and articles re-
CURED will be opened at the Navy De-
partment on September 10th. In the
the chief naval constructor
has, in accordance with the Secretary's
wishes, issued an order to proceed with
the work of the vessel as rapidly as pos
sibie with the material on hand and
upon the receipt CT the materials
articles advertised for to prosecute the
work of completion with all possible
dispatch.
Chief Naval Constructor Wilson will
leave Washington in few days under
orders from the Navy Department for
Portsmouth, N. H., where he will in
spect the navy yard. From there he
will go to San Francisco to inspect !
Mare Island navy yard and Union Iron |
Works.